
SHARON "HtSTdllCAt' SOCiS 




Class 

Copyright W. 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 




0'LA^..^Lj^Ui^ w/i^l^^^U^^^ ^ 






PUBLICATIONS 

of the 

Sharon Historical Society 

of 
SHARON, MASSACHUSETTS 



A MEMORIAL OF EUGENE TAPPAN, Esq, 

Late Corresponding Secretary 



John Goddard Phillips, Editor 



No. 6 . January, 1910 






Copyright 1910 
The Sharon Historical Society. 



(ECLA>25GI08 



INDEX. 



Acknowledgments 


Page 

5 


Eugene Tappan 1840-1908 . 


7 


Ancestry 


8 


Parentage and Boyhood . 


10 


Pupil and Teacher 


16 


College Student . . . . 


21 


A Member of the Bar 


25 


Life in Winchester 


31 


Life In Sharon 


34 


Sense of Humor and Literary 
Style .... 


40 


Sharon Historical Society 


44 


Church Activities 


. 50 


Nearing The End . 


56 


Memorial Services 


58 


Addresses .... 


64 



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 

The Editor acknowledges his indebted- 
ness to the following sources and persons 
for assistance in the preparation of this 
Sketch : 

Diaries and other writings of the late 
Eugene Tappan. 

Pleasant talks with his daughter, Miss 
Muriel Tappan. 

Letters from his sister and childhood 
'^chum," Mrs. Ada B. Dow of Topsfield, 
and from his early schoolmate, Mr. 
Emmons Hatch of Winchester. 

Letters from his old friends, Mr. Albert 
A. Conant of Topsfield, and Mr. E. Law- 
rence Barnard of Winchester. 

Letters from his college friends. Rev. J. 
L. R. Trask, D.D., of Springfield, and Hon. 
Joel D. Miller of Leominster. 

Letters from Judge Elijah George and 
Bentley W. Warren, Esq., of Boston, who 
were his associates in professional work. 

Communications from Rev. Almon J. 
Dyer of Sharon, and Rev. Osmond J. Bill- 
ings of Upton. 



To all of whom he desires to express his 
thanks, his appreciation of the valuable 
help so cheerfully given, and the pleasure 
gained by him from much thought in 
memory of a mutual friend. 

J. G. P., 

EditoT 
Sharon, July 3, 1909. 



EUGENE TAPPAN. 
1840--1908. 

1840. Born at Marshfield, Massachusetts. 

1851. Family moved to Bridgewater. 

1852. Family moved to Farmington, N. H. 
1856. Taught school at Farmington. 
1857-9. Fitted for college at Kimball Union 

Academy. 

1859. Taught school at Marshfield. 

1860. Entered Williams College. 

1864-5. Taught school at West Dennis and 
Centreville. 

1871. After reading law at Worcester was 
admitted to the Bar. 

1872. Married Miss Crosby at Barnstable. 

1875. A practicing lawyer at Boston. 

1876. Became a resident at Winchester. 
1880-2-4-6. Children born. 

1889. Wife died, 

1894. Married Miss Jones of Enfield, N. H. 

1895. Appointed Assistant Register of Pro- 
bate, Suffolk County. 

1898. Moved to Sharon. 
1900. Second wife died. 

1902. Inaugurated Old Home Week in 
Sharon. 

1903. Founded Sharon Historical Society. 
1908. Died at Sharon. 



ANCESTRY. 

TOPPAN, Abraham, baptised April 10, 1606; 
lived in Yarmouth, Eng. ; m. Sus- 
anna Taylor; sailed to New Eng- 
land in 1637 in the " Mary Ann '' 
with his wife and two children; 
settled in Newbury, Mass. ; d. Nov- 
ember 5, 1672, in the house he 
had built in " Toppan's Lane." 

ToPPAN, Peter, physician, b. 1634, in Eng- 
land, and brought by his parents 
to Newbury; m. April 3, 1661, 
Jane Batt ; d. November 3, 1707. 

TOPPAN, Samuel, b. June 5, 1670 ; m. June 
3, 1701, Abigail Wigglesworth, of 
Maiden ; d. in Newbury, October 
30, 1750. 

Tappan, Benjamin, clergyman, b. in New- 
bury, February 28, 1720 ; lived in 
Manchester, 1745 to 1790; m. 
Elizabeth Marsh, of Haverhill, in 
1746; d. in Manchester, May 6, 
1790. 

Tappan, Samuel, schoolmaster, b. in Man- 
chester, May 7, 1759 ; m. in 1789 
Aurelia Bingham, of Canterbury, 



Conn.; d. in Portsmouth, N. H., 
April 29, 1806. 

Tappan, Daniel Dana, clergyman, b. in 
Newburyport, October 20, 1798; 
(Brother William Bingham Tap- 
pan, clergyman, of Philadelphia, 
wrote the hymn, "There is an 
hour of peaceful rest," and pub- 
lished several books of poems) m. 
(2nd) July 10, 1837, Abigail Marsh 
of Newburyport. She d. May 13, 
1857, in Farmington, N. H. He 
d. January 15, 1890, in Topsfield. 

Tappan, Eugene, lawyer, b. in Marshfield, 
July 4, 1840; m. (1st) in Barn- 
stable, December 24, 1872, Alice 
Rebecca Crosby. She d. April 19, 
1889, in Winchester. M. (2nd) 
December 12, 1894, Clara M. 
Jones, of Enfield, N. H. She d. at 
Sharon, October 30, 1900. Chil- 
dren (all by 1st marriage) Crosby, 
b. September 11, 1880; Muriel, b. 
March 22, 1882 ; Robert, b. Dec- 
ember 10, 1884; Dana, b. October 
26, 1886 ; all in Winchester. He 
d. July 10, 1908, in Sharon. 

NoTK.~The spelling of the name was changed from 
Toppan to Tappan in the fourth generation. 



PARENTAGE AND BOYHOOD. 

So far as heredity goes Eugene Tappan 
had an excellent start in life. Several of 
his ancestors were professional men. His 
great-grandfather was a clergyman; his 
grandfather a schoolmaster, who also on 
occasion preached a sermon. His father 
was an educated man, being graduated at 
Bowdoin College, and a clergyman of the 
Orthodox Congregational faith. On the 
female side, also, his descent is marked by 
representatives of families of high char- 
acter, if not indeed of distinction. 

His father. Rev. Daniel Dana Tappan, 
was a man of strong individuality and, from 
what we read of him, it is apparent that the 
son, Eugene, resembled him in many ways. 

The father wrote of himself, thus : 

''I used [when a young man] to write 
compositions, hunting up synonyms in the 
dictionary to suit myself to the word that 
pleased my eye or ear ; and I have probably 
felt the advantage of it ever since." (Abra- 
ham Lincoln did the same.) 



PARENTAGE AND BOYHOOD. 11 

It is said that he was fond of writing 
poetiy all through life, frequently writing 
verses for friends, and, on one occasion, 
wrote, and delivered many times afterwards, 
a temperance address wholly in rhyme. 

Dr. Taylor, with whom he studied theol- 
ogy, said of his pupil : 

'' His commendation is that the common 
people hear him gladly." 

A member of his family says of him : 

"We thought very much of 'Cousin 
Daniel,' he was so pleasant and vivacious 
and entered so genially into all the childish 
sports. Indeed, his entering heartily into 
whatever he did was characteristic of him 
through life." 

He is also described as enjoying "long 
walks," and being " of short stature, and 
quick of motion." 

It is evident that he was not without a 
keen sense of humor, as in speaking lightly 
of himself he would often say : 

" I have D.D. before my name instead of 
after it," and on the day preceding his 
death, in his ninety- third year, he remarked: 

" I do not know but I am as fit to go now 
as I ever shall be." 



12 EUGENE TAPPAN. 

As a "minister of the Gospel" he was 
earnest in his work and original in his 
methods. His son, Eugene, wrote of him : 

" He carefully instructed his people in the 
geography and local incidents of the Holy 
Land. Pointing to the map he would show 
how Jesus in passing from Judea to Galilee 
' must needs go through Samaria.' " 

He was commonly called ' ' Father Tap- 
pan" in the places where he was pastor. 

Again his son wrote : 

"He had good success in enlivening 
prayer-meetings by assigning topics and 
heads of remarks in advance to several 
speakers." 

The following are extracts from some of 
Rev. Mr. Tappan's sermons : 

"The essence of religion is a perpetual 
recognition of God." 

"Be busy, busy, not in useless things, 
not in trifles, but in important things. In- 
dolence is a great foe to happiness." 

" I hope you will think much of making 
others happy. It will tend to make you 
cheerful ; and more than all, it is right. If 
we are generous and accommodating, we 
shall not only feel happier, but shall have 



PARENTAGE AND BOYHOOD. 13 

friends. But it is right, and this is the first 
consideration always/' 

"It is a pity to get so little good out of 
religion." 

That he was benevolent by nature and 
liberal with his means by custom, is shown 
in the son's tribute to the memory of his 
father : 

"There was a poor Irish woman in the 
village to v/hom father in his quiet way 
often gave needed gifts. She has told me 
that one day at a store he slipped a silver 
piece in her hand without saying anything, 
and a chance visitor has found her Thanks- 
giving table supplied by the same giver." 

And again : 

"It was father's lifelong habit to set 
apart one tenth of his income for benevo- 
lent purposes, calling it a sacred fund. The 
children spoke of it as 'good money.' 
While doing this himself he seldom spoke 
of it or enjoined it on others." 

The foregoing account of Rev. D. D. 
Tappan has been given because of the 
strong side-lights thrown by it on the per- 
sonality of his son Eugene. The similarity 
is striking. From this glimpse into the 



14 EUGENE TAPPAN. 



character of an ancestry accustomed to 
high thinking and right Hving, one can 
readily see what manner of son Eugene 
Tappan ought to have been, and the better 
appreciate what manner of man he was. 

But the start in Hfe thus secured, by a 
Hberal inheritance of high-mindedness and 
self-respect, was perhaps the only one — by 
no means, however, omitting his home in- 
fluence — that Eugene obtained outside of 
his own exertions. His father, by reason of 
his unremunerative profession and gener- 
ous habits of giving, continued to be a 
"poor minister"; moving from pulpit to 
pulpit in small country towns and never 
accumulating any considerable surplus store 
of worldly goods for his family. 

Would that the writer could outline a 
mental picture of Eugene as a boy at Marsh- 
field the first eleven years of his life. How 
easy and pleasant it would be to evolve, 
from such a boy as we must believe him to 
have been, the Eugene Tappan so well 
known and beloved in his manhood estate. 

Referring to the home of his boyhood, he 
wrote : 

"Marshfield without a railroad was a 



PARENTAGE AND BOYHOOD. 15 

quiet town. The passing of the stagecoach 
was a daily event to us children. ' A cow 
went past the house today/ was father's 
sportive way of stating the dearth of news 
in a letter." 

It was here that he first went to the vil- 
lage school, and received, in the peaceful 
home of an upright and religious family, 
the childhood impressions that underlay 
the mature character of the man. 

One who was a playmate of his while 
living at Marshfield, and a life-long friend, 
writes of him as a schoolboy : 

'' I remember him very well as we were 
about the same age, when schoolmates, and 
quite intimate. We were both quite inter- 
ested in drav/ing; we had a scheme to 
make an atlas and draw all the maps our- 
selves, needless to say it was never finished. 
He was liked as a boy by all of us, and had 
the alert and energetic way which charac- 
terized him in after life." 

How easy it is to recognize Mr. Tappan 
in this schoolboy picture — the originality 
of the "atlas scheme" and the ''alert and 
energetic way," so truly represent him. 



PUPIL AND TEACHER. 

Leaving Marshfield in 1851, the family, 
after spending a year at Bridgewater, 
moved to Farmington, N. H. — the father 
having a call to preach there — where they 
lived until Eugene was nineteen years old. 
During this period of life he was much 
away from home, alternating between 
fitting for college and teaching school. His 
mother died when he was sixteen ; the 
even tenor of home life was broken, and 
Eugene, the eldest son, cheerfully without 
doubt, undertook to help support and edu- 
cate himself. 

He taught school in Farmington when he 
was sixteen years old. An elder sister 
writes of this experience : 

"It was an interesting sight to notice 
how easily the boy in his short round jacket 
commanded the respectful attention of 
pupils older than himself — one, at least, of 
them a full grown, bearded man." 

Between 1852 and 1857 he also attended 
school at Lebanon and Topsfield Academies. 



PUPIL AND TEACHER. 17 

His sister gives another word-picture of him 
as a student : 

" He was a studious lad and a fine mathe- 
matician. One of his teachers was fond of 
showing off his abihty in this hne of study. 
He was a great reader — always reading 
with dictionary close at hand, and choosing 

solid books rather than stories." 

I 

The testimony, however, of one who was 
a girl pupil in his school about this time, 
gives the finishing touch to the serious like- 
ness and makes it lifelike : 

" He was very much liked and was always 
full of fun." 

His sister, again writing of these years of 
his youth, says : 

''Later he taught other schools in differ- 
ent places and always aimed to give his 
best efforts to stimulate and encourage all 
that was good in his pupils. He was fond 
of poetry and early in life showed a talent 
for verse making which sometimes ap- 
peared in the form of a composition at 
school." 

A companion of ''Eugene in the years of 
his early manhood," writes : 

" I can only say that from my very first 



EUGENE TAPPAN. 



acquaintance with him, his dignified and 
modest bearing commanded my respect 
and admiration, and I looked upon him as 
one of the most exemplary young men it 
had ever been my fortune to meet. 

" His conversation always led up to sub- 
jects that appealed to the heart and con- 
science, and when in his presence one 
seemed to be encircled in a halo of love and 
reverence. 

''His store of subjects for entertainment 
seemed unlimited, and the hours that I 
passed in his company were only too brief, 
while in parting I carried with me the 
sweetest recollections of his genial and 
lovely personality. 

" I have in my possession the cherished 
lines which he wrote on the death of our 
mutual friend, the late Sidney A. Merriam. 
The pathos and touching sweetness and 
tenderness of these lines (which I enclose) 
reflect the character of his own dear heart. 
Surely such a character leaves behind a 
monument of virtue as enduring as the 
Pyramids. 

*' His life work was not interred with his 
bones, but will live and bear fruit when 



PUPIL AND TEACHER. 19 

those who knew and loved him are num- 
bered with the passed." 

A SONNET WRITTEN BY EUGENE TAPPAN. 

"Sidney." 

" To search the place where nestled in the Spring 
The fragrant buds awakening first to life, 
And homeward from the Summer woods to bring 
Some rare plant that would not elude thy sight, 
And Autumn's glorious gathering 
To rank its colors in thy chosen way. 
And to each fern and every delicate thing 
That grows, a natural regard to pay. 
This ever was thy joy. Oh gentle friend, 
When in thy company — too short the day — 
1 walked, while sweet discourse our minds would 

blend. 
The fields invite us, Sidney, why delay ? 
On the bright fields of bliss I see thee wend 
Thy footsteps midst the flowers where pleasures 

never end." 

Eugene Tappan completed fitting for Col- 
lege at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, 
N. H., graduating in 1859. Between the 
time of leaving College and commencing 
the study of Law, he again took up school 
teaching and was employed in this familiar 
and congenial work at West Dennis, and 



20 EUGENE TAPPAN. 

Centerville, on the Cape. In these schools 
he displayed, as before, his great fertility of 
resource and the independent, practical 
nnethods in interesting and teaching his 
scholars that have been alluded to by others 
who knew him in his younger days. 

It is told that he introduced some inno- 
vations which proved quite a revelation to 
the school authorities and considerably up- 
set some of the established customs con- 
cerning school discipline ; for instance : he 
would play games with the large boys at 
recess with mutual enjoyment and no loss 
of self-respect ; at other times, on pleasant 
afternoons, he would conduct the school on 
long walks for nature observation — even 
suspending the regular exercises for this 
novel kind of study. 

It was while teaching one of these schools 
that the girl, who afterwards became his 
wife, attracted his especial interest as a 
pupil. An elderly lady living near the 
schoolhouse noticed that whenever this 
young lady passed on her way to school 
she was often overtaken by the ''young 
master," and remarked : 

'' I guess that will be a match sometime." 



COLLEGE STUDENT. 

Eugene Tappan entered Williams College 
in 1860, as a member of the class of '64, and 
remained only during the freshman year. 
His lateness in entering college was due to 
the necessity of having to pay his way by 
teaching — as one of his classmates says, 
"He had an excellent fit" — and the early 
termination of his course was, doubtless, for 
the same reason. But his career in college, 
though "brief," was "joyous," and he made 
a mark as a "brilliant student" and a 
" good fellow." A classmate writes : 

" He was a fine scholar, lively and full of 
fun, but of good habits and correct deport- 
ment. I do not certainly know why he left 
college. It may be that he lacked means." 

Another college friend speaks of him as : 

"... this sparkling man . . . 
whose later and whose latest years made 
good the modest and talented guarantees 
of his early days. ... I should dearly 
love to lay a flower on his casket." 

Rev. J. L. R. Trask, D.D., a member of 
the class of '64 at Williams, who roomed in 



22 EUGENE TAPPAN. 

the same dormitory, sat in the same pew at 
chapel and near him in the class room, pays 
this truthful and tender tribute to the mem- 
ory of his friend : 

*' Eugene Tappan became a member of 
the Freshman Class of '64, Williams Col- 
lege, in September 1860. He left College 
at the close of the first year. During his 
brief membership he stamped his rare in- 
dividuality on every one of his classmates. 
He was a man never to be forgotten. First 
of all he is remembered for the rich gen- 
iality of his nature. He was of the friendly 
type. Not only was he unique, he was 
picturesque and romantic. He ran to poe- 
try as the Berkshire brooks run to music. 
He was a fine and exact scholar also. He 
came from the brilliant training of Dr. 
Richards of Meriden, N. H. It was a pleas- 
ure to hear him translate Homer and Livy. 
He was of singular modesty, although he 
must have been conscious, as all his class- 
mates were, of his unusual intellectual 
powers. 

'' He was not given to excessive conver- 
sation, but when he spoke he was easily 
brilliant. The men who went with him on 



COLLEGE STUDENT. 23 

long walks amongst the mountains, or in 
his company spent the night on "Greylock," 
brought back with them memorable reports 
of the bright things he said and the novel 
things he did. 

" He joined in the class debates and made 
his side of the contention, strong. I recall 
with vividness, after the lapse of nearly 
fifty years, his defence of his client in a 
moot-court, in which he took the ground 
that his client could not have been where 
the opposing advocate claimed he was, and 
could not have committed the offence 
charged, because at the time of the charge 
he was suffering from an attack of ' gravel.' 
Tappan managed the case with the dex- 
terity, the wit and the cunning of an old law- 
yer, and some suggested that he must have 
been already a student in the Courts, rather 
than a country schoolmaster who had been 
teaching in order to get money to prosecute 
his studies in College; and all said that 
Tappan had made no mistake in his choice 
of a profession. 

*'He was an earnest Christian man, at- 
tentive at the religious exercises of the Col- 
lege ; his hand and his heart found in every 



24 EUGENE TAPPAN. 

good work. With all the promptness of a 
strong nature, he was singularly gentle in 
his manner. It is not strange he became a 
favorite in the life and affection of the class, 
and when it was said at the beginning of 
the Sophomore year, ' Tappan is not com- 
ing back,' there was an uncommon expres- 
sion of regret. 

" I do not remember that he ever attended 
a reunion of the class, but inquiries were 
always made concerning him and a deep 
interest was cherished in the occurrences 
of his life. He gave early the promise of a 
deep, penetrating and sagacious mind. He 
has kept the promise well. He was a stu- 
dent, a gentleman, a friend and a Christian 
to the last." 

From the extracts which have been given 
the consistent course of Mr. Tappan's life 
can be easily traced. 



A MEMBER OF THE BAR. 

It must have been a great disappointment 
to Mr. Tappan to be obliged to leave col- 
lege before the completion of his course. 
He had advanced far enough to find the 
study intellectually congenial, the friend- 
ships close to his heart, all the associations 
of ''Old Williams" dear to him, and himself 
giving unusual promise of a high order of 
scholarship. Yet the call of duty prompted 
him to sunder the ties that bound him to 
this cherished life that comes but once to a 
man, and resume school teaching for a 
period, as a means to another definitely 
desired end. 

He read law with Bacon & Aldrich (late 
Judges of the Superior Court) in Worcester, 
and was admitted to the bar in 1871. 
Coming to Boston he became associated 
with the law firm of Proctor, Warren & 
Brigham, afterwards changed to Proctor, 
Brigham & Tappan, and later to Proctor, 
Tappan & Warren. He continued a mem- 
ber of this firm until his appointment as 



26 EUGENE TAPPAN. 



Assistant Register of Probate in 1895. 
Bentley W. Warren, Esq., who is a member 
of that firm, kindly supplies us with the 
following information regarding Mr. Tap- 
pan's "specialties" in the practice of the 
law: 

" Mr. Tappan did not enjoy, and rarely 
engaged in, active court practice. He had, 
however, great skill in the preparation of 
cases for trial, and his quality of mind and 
memory was such as to make him a very 
valuable associate in the trial of a case. I 
remember hearing my father, who used to 
try a great many cases, say that Mr. Tap- 
pan could take the most exact notes, and 
remember the greatest amount of evidence 
and incidents in the trial of a case, of any- 
one he had known. He was an exhaustive 
reader of law and had an immense fund of 
statute and case knowledge always avail- 
able for his own use, or for the aid of his 
associates. His temperament was modest 
and retiring rather than assertive, and when 
he could he would avoid expressing an 
opinion on a law question, but would give 
all the known statutes and decisions nec- 
essary to form an opinion upon the ques- 



A MEMBER OE THE BAR. 27 

tion, and the information which he gave in 
this way was very exhaustive. 

" I should say that his specialties, during 
his long association with this office, were 
examinations of law and conveyancing. In 
the latter field too much cannot be said of 
the accuracy and skill of his work. His 
wide knowledge of the law itself enabled 
him, in examining a title, to know at once, 
as he looked at the record of each instru- 
ment, what, if any, doubtful questions 
existed in the title, and usually enabled him 
to answer them as he made his examina- 
tion. His thoroughness and care, however, 
were such that he always reviewed each 
legal question which had arisen in the title, 
and verified the law bearing upon it, before 
he finally passed or rejected the title." 

In 1895 Mr. Tappan accepted the appoint- 
ment as Assistant Register of Probate at 
Boston and retired from active practice of 
the law. Just what were his reasons for 
making the change from membership in a 
long established, reputable and prosperous 
law firm to a subordinate position in the 
Probate office, cannot be stated because 



28 EUGENE TAPPAN. 

they are not known. But from what has 
been testified to concerning his preferences 
in practice ; his especial aptitude in details 
of office work of an exact nature requiring 
unusual faithfulness and knowledge of law 
available for quick service, and a tempera- 
mental dislike of the self-assertiveness more 
common in general practice, it may be in- 
ferred that the change was one of choice. 
And considering his well known fondness 
for a certain kind of disinterested public 
service rendered largely outside the hours 
of regular business and without pecuniary 
consideration, it may be readily believed 
that he was willing to sacrifice a higher 
personal ambition in order to save time and 
strength for this purely unselfish work. 
This explanation may not seem incom- 
patible with the character of the man as it 
has been developed in the records of these 
pages. 

In this office the opportunities for kindly 
helpfulness and the exercise of patience, 
cheerfulness and the spirit of good-will, 
characteristic of his nature, were surely 
sufficiently ample. Although manifestly 
occupying a position subject to annoyance 



A MEMBER OF THE BAR. i>9 

from the great multitude of clients who 
''want to know," it would be testified to by 
all — practitioners and laymen — that he 
did not fortify himself behind his desk and 
volunteer as little information as possible 
in reply to the inquiries of such visitors, 
but would come out in front of the rail — 
meeting the inquirer more than half-way 
— and answer questions, and explain tech- 
nical points to the unsophisticated, with an 
inexhaustible fund of patience, and willing- 
ness to lighten the burden of other's per- 
plexities. 

Judge Elijah George, who, during this 
period, held the office of Register of 
Probate, thus offers his appreciative testi- 
monial : 

" In the enclosed typewritten paragraph, 
I have in a few words sketched my appre- 
ciation of Eugene Tappan as we knew him, 
throughout his service of thirteen years in 
the office of the Register of Probate and 
Insolvency for Suffolk County, all of which 
period fell under my administration. The 
pleasure of his association, the confidence 
in his ability and faithfulness, and his never 



30 EUGENE TAPPAN. 

failing courtesy and helpfulness to all, are 
worthy of a more extended notice. 

" . . . Mr. Eugene Tappan was 
appointed Assistant Register of Probate for 
the County of Suffolk on October 5th, 1895. 
He continued in the office and fulfilled its 
duties faithfully and with ability up to the 
time of his death. His whole service was 
characterized by loyalty to his Superior 
Officer, devotion to his work and a care 
and caution in the performance of his daily 
duties, which were of a nature requiring 
the exercise of patience, discretion and tact. 
Of an optimistic nature he derived a great 
deal of pleasure from his work, and his 
genial smile, as he stood with his head 
slightly forward, and hands behind his 
back, debating some question of practice 
with a young attorney, will long be remem- 
bered by those who knew him. His rela- 
tions with his fellow workers were always 
pleasant, and his thoughtfulness and will- 
ingness to do his share were appreciated 
by all who labored with him. Punctual, 
painstaking, courteous and accurate, he 
was a faithful and efficient public servant.'' 



LIFE IN WINCHESTER. 

On December 24th, 1872, Eugene Tappan 
and Alice Rebecca Crosby were married in 
Barnstable. His first acquaintance with 
her was as a pupil in his school at Center- 
ville, seven or eight years before. A few 
years after marriage the young couple es- 
tablished a home at Winchester, where 
between 1879 and 1887, their four children 
— one daughter and three sons — were 
born. In 1889 the wife and mother died. 

The twenty-two years that Mr. Tappan 
lived in Winchester covered the hard work- 
ing period of his life. The demand upon 
his time by professional duties, and the 
cares and anxieties connected with the rear- 
ing of a young family — early left mother- 
less — must have been a severe tax upon his 
health and strength. Yet we are told by a 
fellowtownsman and co-worker in matters 
of local interest, that : 

*' He was very much interested in town 
and church affairs and was at one time 



32 EUGENE TAPPAN. 

Superintendent of the Intermediate Depart- 
ment of the Sunday School." 

He had very original ideas for imparting 
knowledge. Continuing he says : 

'' I made him a lot of little wooden books, 
to represent the books of the Bible, all the 
same height, but of different thicknesses, as 
the books they represented were long or 
short." 

His quickness to see and correct out- 
grown methods produced improvement in 
many ways — the system of classes was re- 
arranged to suit his experienced ideas, and, 
it is said, the antiquated S. S. Library was 
overhauled, many books of a morbid-senti- 
mental sort, being, through his influence, 
eliminated. Like the innovations in disci- 
pline introduced in his early school-teaching 
days, these changes, at first regarded with 
disfavor, soon became established. 

The Sunday afternoon walks with his 
children while he told stories and talked 
about the trees, flowers, and birds, is a ten- 
derly remembered feature of the family life 
in those days. 

Another Winchester friend, associated 
with him in Sunday School work, writes : 



LIFE IN WINCHESTER. 33 

" I fear I have not the ability to prepare 
anything worthy of our late friend, Mr. 
Eugene Tappan. My acquaintance with 
Mr. Tappan began when I was Superinten- 
dent of the Sunday School in Winchester, 
and Winchester Highlands. I found him 
very faithful and very helpful in that work. 

"He had a way of illustrating the old 
truths that made a great impression upon 
the children. His original methods called 
for much sacrifice and faithful work and no 
little expense, which he chose to meet him- 
self. Very many Saturday evenings I have 
known him to work until midnight prepar- 
ing something for the children's service the 
next day that would first attract the eye 
and yet emphasize a truth that they would 
remember. The boys and girls of Win- 
chester will never forget the sayings of 
Eugene Tappan, nor the lessons in char- 
acter building he tried to teach." 



LIFE IN SHARON. 

In 1898, Mr. Tappan; his second wife, 
(Miss Clara M. Jones of Enfield, N. H., to 
whom he had been married December 12, 
1894) and his children, came to Sharon to 
live. The associations formed by a long 
residence in Winchester had become strong, 
and the ties of friendship and memory were 
hard to break. Speaking of his reasons 
for this move, in his Journal under date 
of July 15th, 1898, referring to the health 
of his wife, he writes : 

" She has now been very nearly a year in 
Sharon and has thus proved that the air 
and other existing conditions are favorable 
to her health. As it is therefore prudent 
for her to continue there, it seems best to 
move the family there." 

But here again affliction soon visited him 
through the death of Mrs. Tappan, October 
30, 1900. 

In this new field his entrance was at 
once marked by a resumption of the 
activities — Sunday School work and a 
general interest in town affairs — previously 



LIFE IN SHARON. 35 

employed by him in Winchester. Recalling 
his long experience as a young man in 
school teaching, he paid especial attention 
to school affairs by frequent visits, and by 
stimulating the scholars' interest through 
the personal offering of prizes for excellence 
in departments which he thought should 
be entitled to greater importance. In such 
work he kept himself characteristically in 
the background and, at a later date, 
declined, when urged, to serve as a mem- 
ber of the School Committee. He also 
systematically visited the older residents of 
the town, acquainting himself with the 
people and their interests. Many pages of 
his Journal, written at this time, are 
devoted to recording things which he was 
learning concerning the local history of 
families — names, dates, anecdotes, etc. — 
by which to become familiar with the new 
life and surroundings. 

He was accustomed to walk much on 
Sunday afternoons and half holidays, and 
at such times would seek the acquaintance 
of remote families ; would hunt up places 
of historical interest; discover attractive 
bits of sceneiy; v/ith senses continually 



36 EUGENE TAPPAN. 

alert for knowledge and beauty. He has 
left an uncompleted book in which he 
catalogued and described more than two 
hundred ''localities and places in Sharon, 
such as streets, hills, brooks, monuments, 
swamps, cemeteries, special names of fields, 
large trees, and old cellar holes," which 
will be of increasing interest and historical 
value. 

It is generally known that Mr. Tappan 
had a kind heart and a generous hand, but 
no one not conversant with his daily Jour- 
nal — containing a simple record of deeds, 
not thoughts — for many years, can under- 
stand the fulness and extent of his number- 
less thoughtful kindnesses and charities : 

'' Called on ' A,' who has been sick a 
week, left a squab and some oranges," he 
records ; and : 

" Inquired at door for Mrs. ' B,' and left 
small silver spoon with initials for the new- 
born daughter." 

Such memoranda are frequent. And 
again on individual birthday anniversaries 
— a long list of which he had preserved — 
he would jot down the little appropriate 
good-will gift presented. 



LIFE IN SHARON. 37 

Indeed it would not be strange if he, 
himself, would be surprised, on re-reading 
his own record, at the extent of these 
private benefactions. 

No one but the recipient knew of this 
quiet giving, and yet his purse was usually 
opened on call for the benefit of worthy 
public charity. It is now known that, on 
more than one occasion, he supplied, from 
his own means, a deficiency in the appro- 
priation, when acting as a representative 
for others equally interested with himself. 

Charity, with him, did not always begin 
at home. 

But in the main his life in Sharon was 
an open book. Ever ready to sacrifice him- 
self first, he found it not difficult to induce 
others to do likewise in the promotion of 
some desirable object. He avoided argu- 
ment and was not given to positive state- 
ment of opinion. His influence in a good 
cause, or a principle, was habitually exer- 
cised by example, rather than by precept, 
and his energy and enthusiasm, in matters 
conducive to harmony and good will, knew 
no bounds. 

He was noticeably quiet in town affairs, 



38 EUGENE TAPPAN. 

but without * talk ' could be relied upon to 
act on the right side. One who was asked 
to " see Mr. Tappan and get him to vote 
with us/' replied that, Mr. Tappan was 
intelligent enough to judge the merits of 
the question and conscientious enough to 
vote accordingly. And yet his influence in 
such matters in a quiet way was not with- 
out positive effect. The fact of his silence ; 
an expressive gesture or change of counte- 
nance, might give the cue to his opinions 
which, when detected, would carry more 
weight than a volume of words from an- 
other. 

Although conscientiously interested in 
all matters of public welfare and always an 
attendant at Town Meeting, he was rarely 
on his feet to address the Moderator; on 
one occasion, however, a question had been 
decided adversely to the interests of one, 
whose claim he believed to be just, by a 
snap vote, and a reconsideration was al- 
lowed ; Mr. Tappan arose and merely said, 
in effect, that, without having had an oppor- 
tunity to inform himself thoroughly, he 
thought he could see that there might be an 
honest difference of opinion concerning the 



LIFE IN SHARON. 39 

point at issue, and therefore suggested that 
perhaps the question might fairly be de- 
cided so as to give the aggrieved party the 
benefit of the doubt. This from him was 
enough and the vote was promptly reversed. 

His integrity of character was undoubted. 
In a conversation between two fellowtowns- 
men, 'A' was remarking upon the difficulty 
— almost impossibility — of feeling abso- 
lutely sure of the honesty of any man under 
all circumstances ; to which ' B ' replied : 

"I don't entirely share your doubt; I 
knoWy for instance, that Mr. Tappan could 
never commit a dishonest act." 



SENSE OF HUMOR AND LITERARY 
STYLE. 

Although Mr. Tappan's aims were high, 
and his hfe, in a sense, serious, it would be 
very, very unrealistic to suppose him to 
have been devoid of humor. On the con- 
trary, like his father, he had an abundance 
of it. The friends of his early life speak of 
him as being "a lively companion,'' and 
"having lots of fun in him;'' and his Sharon 
friends, surely, cannot bring him to mind 
without the fun and frolic of his nature 
appearing most prominent. Without these 
qualities we could not recognize Mr. Tap- 
pan. He was a most amusing man — irre- 
pressible with his good-natured jokes. As 
in his college days on excursions with the 
boys, reports came back " of the bright 
things he said and the novel things he did," 
so in after years he continued to be the life 
of any company — young or old — in which 
he happened to be. 

Indeed he often could not help seeing the 



HUMOR AND LITERARY STYLE. 41 

funny side even on occasions most serious. 
Thus in his Journal he writes : 

" Was sent for at midnight to see ' M ' 
[an old man] who was told he had but a 
few hours to live. Spent several hours at 
his bed-side writing Will and seeing same 
properly executed. Paid me one dollar." 

His contagious shout of merriment will 
often come to mind whenever his memory 
is recalled. An evening meeting is remem- 
bered at which a revivalist preacher was in 
attendance; he asked for a drink of water, 
and something in the way he crooked his 
elbow, perhaps, and tossed off the glass 
without pausing in his impassioned oratory, 
touched Mr. Tappan's sense of the ludicrous 
and one of his characteristic explosions of 
mirth resulted. 

He was most original, unique, in his 
fun — a jolly man — and withal, never for- 
getful of the feelings of others. On any 
excursion — rain or shine — to have him 
along meant a good time. (How amused 
Mr. Tappan might have been at this poor 
rhyme.) 

A great deal of his lighter side was shown 
in the verses he wrote ; on all occasions, at 



42 EUGENE TAPPAN. 

home when any of the family were away, 
or when travelHng by himself, he would 
write humorous verse for his own and 
others' entertainment; just as he often, 
when a boy at school, would write compo- 
sitions in rhyme. It would be pleasant to 
read these amusing verses were it not a 
violation of tender feelings to put them in 
print. 

Many of his poetical writings were more 
dignified in tone, several such have ap- 
peared in print in connection with the ex- 
ercises of the Historical Society, and some 
of the shorter ones — such as the sonnet, 
" To Sidney," already given in these pages 
— show a refined sentiment and much ten- 
derness of feeling ; but it is doubtful if Mr. 
Tappan ever thought of himself seriously as 
a poet, or ever expected his efforts in this 
line to be made public. 

He was continually writing in prose for 
newspapers and other publications and was 
very fond of doing so. He was a man of 
brilliant ideas with the happy faculty of 
fluent expression without verbiage; to 
apply to him his own words in referring to 
another: 



HUMOR AND LITERARY STYLE. 43 

''The pleasure [derived from] luminous 
expression in composition." 

His literaiy work was, in style, a model 
of conciseness rarely surpassed and pecul- 
iarly characteristic of himself. While read- 
ing his written thoughts, one familiar with 
his mannerisms, tones of voice and facial 
expressions, would involuntarily find them 
reproduced in imagination. 

His very handwriting was expressive of 
himself — compact, legible, free from em- 
bellishments. His composition was always 
in pure and simple English. 



SHARON HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 

It has been suggested that perhaps Mr. 
Tappan was willing to lessen his profes- 
sional responsibilities, by retiring from the 
active practice of law, in order to have 
more time at his disposal for outside work 
of a strictly public-spirited character. At 
all events after coming to Sharon he did so 
occupy his spare time. He began almost 
at once to interest himself in the social life 
of the town in a broader sense, as has al- 
ready been narrated somewhat in detail, 
and to write for the local papers the im- 
pressions he received. He informed the 
older residents concerning many interesting 
items of local history heretofore unfamiliar 
to them, or known to but few, and described 
many attractive features of the neighbor- 
hood — pleasant walks and fine bits of 
scenery — thus bringing to notice the fact 
that the village offered a wider range of 
desirabilities than had been commonly 
presented. 



SHARON HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 45 

Furthermore after the death of his wife 
in 1890, it is evident that he sought in- 
creased mental occupation in such work. 
His example stimulated others to seek new 
interests and appreciate more fully the real 
value of living. The observance of Old 
Home Week had recently been inaugurated 
in some New England towns, and, in 1902, 
Mr. Tappan, — with others whom he in- 
spired — introduced the custom in Sharon 
with marked success, and the continued 
observance of its anniversary has become a 
popular event. 

He quickly discerned the dramatic 
features in the character and career of 
Deborah Sampson, the female soldier of the 
Revolution, who after the war married and 
lived in Sharon, and exploited them ; 
making the most of the opportunity to 
bring the people together and arouse en- 
thusiasm in the historical personages and 
events of the town. 

In 1903 he became a member of the 
Antiquarian Committee, and, in co-opera- 
tion with others of this Committee, incor- 
porated the Sharon Historical Society, of 
which he was elected the Corresponding 



46 EUGENE TAPPAN. 

Secretary and continued to be the ruling 
spirit until his death. Into the work of 
this Society he entered with heart and 
mind, and the attention given to its 
interests by him and the benefits which he 
hoped, though its influence, would result to 
the community, seem in many respects to 
have constituted the crowning effort of his 
life. 

Mr. Tappan was not only the founder of 
the Sharon Historical Society, but he es- 
tablished the standard upon which it should 
be conducted. A newcomer to the town, 
he observed the different — and differing — 
elements in the community — denomina- 
tional, political, social — new comers with 
metropolitan ideas and the descendants of 
the first settlers, between whom there was 
a natural lack of sympathy. He desired to 
promote harmony and brotherly love. In- 
terested in the church of his fathers, he 
would have been pleased to make it broad 
enough to allow and induce all to enter, but 
realizing that this might not be practicable 
in his time, he cast about for some other 
medium through which to invite and inter- 
est all the people. Without any especial 



SHARON HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 47 

previous interest in matters of local history, 
he was quick to preceive the situation here 
offered — both by reason of the volume of 
the uncultivated historical store and the 
unusual apathy of the people regarding the 
subject. 

Here then was an opportunity for culture 
as well as for harmony. He founded the 
Historical Society. It was to accomplish 
for the inhabitants of the town what other 
organizations had failed to do. He set the 
standard high. How successfully he ful- 
filled its purposes and maintained its stand- 
ards to the limit of his life, need not be 
retold. He was behind every endeavor and 
every accomplishment, taking the larger 
share of responsibility, but refusing to 
accept any credit for success. His capacity 
for getting other people to work was ex- 
ceeded only by his willingness to work 
himself. 

He took every man for the best that was 
in him — ignoring all else — thereby en- 
couraging in others an increased feeling of 
self respect which must always be the 
foundation of true character. He cheer- 
fully took the laboring oar, but he expected 



48 EUGENE TAPPAN. 



the Other occupants of the boat to pull hard 
too. But few, if any, were found to betray 
his confidence or deny his appeal, knowing 
that, in case of failure to respond, he would 
supply the deficiency without reproach. It 
was a joy to him to work hard for the public 
good. He was equal to any emergency. 
It was characteristic of him to sink the in- 
dividual. He was essentially a friend of the 
people. Naturally retiring, he was willing 
to take the lead when no other leader was 
at hand. 

Perhaps his enthusiasm might have 
flagged at times — otherwise it would be 
hardly human— but his constant co-workers 
could never perceive it, if so. His love of 
work ; his unselfish devotion to the cause 
of social uplifting, and his unwavering faith 
in the possibilities of human advancement— 
these alone could have sustained him ; and 
they did sustain him when some of his 
associates would fain have had him lay the 
burden down. Speaking of interests near 
his heart, shortly before his death, he said, 
in his own inimitable disguise of serious- 
ness: 

" Don't you believe that this work will go 



SHARON HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 49 

right on just the same, even if — we'll say 
Mr. Smith or Mr. Jones — should drop 
out?" 

A brave reply was attempted, but— alas 
— with what a sinking heart. 

Such a life as his makes others possible. 
He was as a luminary of unusual brilliancy 
flashed across the local sky once in the life 
of a generation, not half appreciated till 
past, but then long remembered and talked 
of, and the coming of another confidently 
predicted. 



CHURCH ACTIVITIES. 

Mr. Tappan was a faithful attendant 
upon all the exercises of the church, and 
rarely omitted to take a part whenever it 
was the custom for laymen to do so. This 
was in accordance with early associations, 
and his heart was in the work, especially as 
it related to the Sunday School. In his 
Journal one may always find recorded, the 
text of the Sunday sermon ; the subject of 
the Sunday School lesson and the names of 
those present in his class; and similar 
notice is given of the other religious gath- 
erings through the week. Probably he 
showed no outward signs of disappointment 
if his efforts did not always meet with such 
appreciation as would warm his heart, but 
here is a pathetic extract from his Journal 
which discloses the capacity of the earnest 
teacher for extracting crumbs of comfort : 

" ' C's ' mother says that he liked me as 
teacher last Sunday and hoped that I would 
take the class again." 



CHURCH ACTIVITIES. 51 

Someone has said : 

'' Mr. Tappan was, first of all, a good 
churchman and a good Christian." 

Doubtless this is true. He was faithful 
in the discharge of every duty — as he saw 
it to be duty. No one who knew him could 
doubt his entire loyalty to the church of his 
bringing up, or his devotion to its welfare. 
He was also a progressive Christian, and if 
he did not always feel entirely satisfied with 
the attitude of his church, it was his intel- 
ligent policy — and he saw it to be his duty 
— to seek for reform through sympathetic 
work from within the organization rather 
than by cold criticism from outside. 

His life was governed by his own high 
ethical sense, but he habitually exercised 
the broadest toleration towards others 
respecting all matters of personal belief 
and conduct. His personality displayed a 
combination none too common : In stead- 
fastness of principle — the Puritan ; in un- 
selfish instinct — the Gentleman. 

But leaving analysis aside ; it is enough 
to say that he held the respect and affection 
of all who knew him. 

Rev. Osmond J. Billings was, as a young 



52 EUGENE TAPPAN. 

man, a member of Mr. Tappan's Sunday 
School class, and later became his associate 
in work connected with the Congregational 
Church of Sharon. He writes : 

"In estimating the religious life of an- 
other, one is always subject to human lim- 
itation of vision. * The hidden springs we 
may not know.' This inability to know 
completely another's soul was exemplified 
in the case of Mr. Tappan, who joined to 
universal geniality and friendliness a reti- 
cence in regard to the deepest things of his 
soul life. 

"But this word has come down from the 
great Teacher, 'By their fruits ye shall 
know them.' Estimating according to this 
test and reading from without inward we 
may discern something of the life princi- 
ples within. 

"Mr. Tappan's religious activity was 
notably steady and continuous. He was 
absolutely dependable. His religion was 
not of the type in which periods of great 
ardor alternate with indifference. Sunday 
by Sunday he was found in his place at 
church and it is interesting to notice that 
he was not of that overwhelming majority 



CHURCH ACTIVITIES. 53 

who shun the front seats — I wonder if this 
choice of a front seat, noticeable also in the 
prayer-meeting, may not have been a mat- 
ter of principle. At the mid-week meeting 
his presence and his participation could be 
counted on. And if the writer is not mis- 
taken, it was not the easiest task for him to 
stand and express his thought, for there 
were indications of embarrassment. 

''Not only was Mr. Tappan's religious 
activity steady and continuous, there was 
also in his outward appearance little man- 
ifestation of that alternation of down- 
heartedness and good cheer that may some- 
times be observed. If he had the 'blues,' he 
did not discolor the atmosphere about him. 
If he had burdens, he kept them to himself. 
He may have confided them to his heavenly 
Father, but he did not seek to cumber other 
men with them. His cheerful strength and 
his steadiness of religious observance indi- 
cate a faith and a purpose that were not 
dependent on emotion alone, but grounded 
in a conscious, firmly fixed choice of the 
will. 

"Mr. Tappan believed in a religion that 
is intellectual. He was a student of God's 



54 EUGENE TAPPAN. 

Word. He strove to interest the young 
men of his class in the Sunday School by 
means of fresh devices. He was an advo- 
cate of written examinations in the Bible 
school. He believed in making Bible study 
worth while and was not slow to expend 
energy, time and money in bringing this 
about. 

''Intellectual breadth was characteristic 
of the man. While reverent in his attitude, 
he was open-minded to receive the results 
of critical study and was not afraid to go 
where the truth might lead him. And yet 
to this intellectual candor was united a re- 
gard for others that was careful not to 
offend against their cherished beliefs, nor 
provoke controversy. 

"This intellectual breadth helped to 
make him tolerant of those v/ith other 
creeds and methods. He was ready to see 
the good in others and join with them in 
helpful a c t i V i t i e s'. But his intellectual 
make-up does not alone account for this. 
We should miss the secret of Mr. Tappan's 
life, did we not perceive kindliness of heart 
and love to one's fellow men. Every good 
cause found him ready with support. 



CHURCH ACTIVITIES. 55 



"This love for others made Mr. Tappan 
democratic, as it will tend to make any 
man who has it. In another direction it 
took form in an unwillingness to listen to 
words derogatory to another. His was the 
love that desired to think no evil. The 
following stanza in part at least expresses 
the spirit of his life : 

* Let me live in a liouse by the side of fne road 
Where the race of men go by. 
They are good, they are bad, they are weak, they 
are strong, 
Wise, foolish ; so am I. 
Then why should I sit in the scorner's seat 

Or hurl the cynic's ban ? 
Let me live in a house by the side of the road 
And be a friend to man.' 

" It seems evident that the love that Mr. 
Tappan had to men rested back upon faith 
in a God, Who desires the good of all men. 
His type of religion was not the mystical, it 
would seem, but the practical, and yet we 
can discern under the outward devotion to 
religious service and community helpful- 
ness, a deep, abiding, personal trust in the 
heavenly Father." 



NEARING THE END. 

During the last few years of Mr. Tappan's 
life it was evident, to those with whom he 
was closely associated, that he was carrying 
more than one man's burden of responsi- 
bility. Although apparently in vigorous 
health and in the full enjoyment of all his 
powers and happy in the work of his choice, 
it was perhaps inevitable that some weak 
spot should develop, and, at his age, a gen- 
eral impairment of his health follow. 

In the fall of 1907 he suffered an attack 
of the Grippe and while he made, and con- 
tinued to the last, a brave fight to throw off 
the resulting weakness, the decline of his 
strength was sure, though gradual, until 
the end came. But during this period of 
about eight months he kept in close touch 
with the work of the Probate Office, carry- 
ing the details in his mind and personally 
directing much of it when unable to leave 
his home. 

His interest in the affairs of the Histori- 
cal Society, also, were as keen as ever dur- 



NEARING THE END. 57 

ing this period of his ilhiess, and his plans 
for meetings, and the arrangements for the 
approaching Old Home Week observances, 
all originated in his active brain and were 
carried out as he directed, although he did 
not live to enjoy the accomplishment of the 
full program. 

Notwithstanding the wasting disease 
from which he suffered, his strength of 
mind and his love of life were such that he 
was able to rise above his physical weak- 
ness and pain and preserve the interest in 
his work, and his cheerful outlook, until 
his death. 

*• I know the night is near at hand, 

The mists He low on hill and bay ; 
The autumn sheaves are dewless, dry — 

But I have had — have had — the day. 
Yes, I have had, dear Lord, the day ; 

When at Thy call I have the night, 
Brief be the twilight as I pass 

From light to dark, from dark to light." 

Eugene Tappan passed to his rest July 
10th, 1908 - aged 68 years — and the flags 
of the village floated at half-mast. 



MEMORIAL SERVICES. 

Rev. Almon J. Dyer, the pastor of the 
church which Mr. Tappan attended, writes 
as follows : 

"The funeral services of Mr. Tappan 
were held at 3.30 o'clock on Sunday after- 
noon, July 12th, at his late residence on 
South Pleasant Street. They were of the 
simplest order as befitted a man of his sim- 
plicity and modesty of life and character. 
Rev. A. J. Dyer, pastor of the Congrega- 
tional Church in Sharon conducted the 
service and spoke briefly and comprehen- 
sively of Mr. Tappan's great activity and 
usefulness in the church and community 
since taking up his residence in town. 
Rev. D. Augustine Newton, pastor of the 
Congregational Church in Winchester, of 
which the deceased had long been a mem- 
ber, spoke appreciatively and affectionately 
of his influence there. 

" The services were semi-private, but all 
classes of the citizens of Sharon, official 



MEMORIAL SERVICES. 59 

and unofficial, were represented. The pass- 
ing of one so thoroughly loyal to the church 
and so generally active in the various de- 
partments of its work, could not be without 
special recognition. 

''The seven o'clock evening service of 
the day was made an informal memorial 
service. There were the usual opening 
exercises and then the pastor gave the peo- 
ple opportunity to express themselves free- 
ly. The response was prompt, spontane- 
ous, and hearty. No previous notice had 
been given, yet a goodly number found 
something definite, distinctive and impor- 
tant to say. Those who spoke were : Rev. 
C. A. Perry, Messrs. M. P. W. Kreutz, D. 
W. Pettee, W. P. Fiske, A. A. Bailey, E. G. 
Richards, Mrs. A. A. Bailey, and Rev. A. J. 
Dyer." 



60 EUGENE TAPPAN. 

At the annual reunion of the Sharon 
Center School Association held in Old 
Home Week, July 30th, 1908, the following 
Resolutions were adopted : 

Whereas: The Sharon Center School 
Association is deeply grieved by the death 
of Eugene Tappan, an honorary member 
since 1902, and desires to express its recog- 
nition of his high character and unselfish 
devotion to the common welfare, therefore 
it is: 

Resolved, that appreciation of his work 
and fidelity to his memory must inevitably 
lead to the continued advancement of the 
Kingdom of God in this community, which 
ideal he had ever at heart; and further. 

Resolved, that from the very regrets at 
his loss there must spring a feeling of grat- 
itude for his efforts in the uplifting of the 
social life of his town and for the recollec- 
tion of his genial acquaintance. 

" Thanks be to God that such have been, 
Although they are no more." 

Resolved, that these resolutions be spread 
upon the records of the Association and a 
copy transmitted to his afflicted family. 



MEMORIAL SERVICES. 61 

The quarterly meeting of the Sharon 
Historical Society, which occurred a few 
weeks later, became, by common consent, 
a memorial to the late Corresponding 
Secretary. 

The following are extracts copied from 
the Record Book of the Society : 

Directors' Meeting, July 27th, 1908. 
"Mr. Quinn chosen to present resolu- 
tions on the death of Mr. Tappan, and it 
was unanimously voted that John G. 
Phillips be the speaker for the Society after 
their reading.'' 

Meeting Society, July 31st, 1908. 
" The following resolution was presented 
by Mr. T. F. Quinn, prefaced by remarks by 
the President, and followed by remarks by 
Mr. Quinn, E. H. Hewins, Geo. Kempton, 
John O'Brien, Dr. Loring Puffer of Brock- 
ton, and J. G. Phillips. The resolutions 
were unanimously adopted by a rising vote : 

Whereas: Divine Providence has seen 
fit to remove from our midst our beloved 
friend and co-worker, Eugene Tappan, Esq., 

Therefore, be it resolved that Eugene 



62 EUGENE TAPPAN. 

Tappan was no common man ; noble in his 
impulses; careful in his management; 
broad in his charity; unceasing in his in- 
fluence; modest and unassuming, he was 
equal to any occasion that called for his 
service. May the Great Father of us all 
comfort and sustain us in our loss." 

This meeting on July 31st, following so 
closely the death of Mr. Tappan, was 
largely attended by members of the So- 
ciety, and many others, sincerely wishing 
to pay respect to the memory of one who 
had been the life of the Society and, in the 
highest sense, the benefactor of the com- 
munity. 

At the close of the meeting the following 
poem, composed by Mr. Tappan for one of 
the "Summer Rambles" of the Historical 
Society, was sung : 



" Lake Massapoag lies in tlie lieart of the town, 

With its beautiful face to the sky, 
And its lover, the Sun, all the day time looks down 

And smiles from its station on high. 
Surrounded by groves in its rural retreat, 

The wild flocks here assemble for flight, 
And the moon and the stars are impatient to meet 

Where their beauty is mirrored at night. 



MEMORIAL SERVICES. 63 

'* In the far away time the red Indian came 

And his wigwam was built on the shore, 
He fished on its waters and gave it the name 

Of Massapoag for evermore. 
Then the Puritan settled on the banks of the lake, 

Tolman crossed in his boat to his cot, 
And Gridley and Quincy in war learned to take 

Iron ore for their cannon and shot. 

" Where to slacken their thirst came the moose and the deer, 

The fond heart will oft turn with delight, 
As, bedecked with all charms that the senses can cheer, 

Lake Massapoag gleams to the sight. 
From the bowl of pure water in nature's own hand 

We will drink to its health and our own, 
For as long as the beautiful lives, it will stand 

The loveliest lake we have known." 



64 eugene tappan. 

Addresses. 
Remarks by Col. Edmund H. Hewins. 

Mr. President: 

As the pebble dropped into still waters 
sends out ripples in ever widening circles 
even to the farthest shore, so Eugene Tap- 
pan, coming into our community for a few 
brief years, by his activity in all that per- 
tains to religious, moral and intellectual 
progress, exerted an influence, potent for 
good, that will be felt far beyond our ability 
to measure or even to recognize. 

Without envy or self-seeking, ever char- 
itable towards the failings of others, he ex- 
emplified in daily life much that makes for 
good citizenship. The community is the 
better for his having lived in it. 
Mr. President: 

I beg leave to second the resolution. 

Remarks by Mr. George Kempton. 
Mr. President: 

I desire to second the resolution offered 
relating to our late Corresponding Secre- 
tary, but so much has already been ex- 
pressed and so well said, that I will confine 
myself to only a brief tribute. 



MEMORIAL SERVICES. 65 

Our Historical Society is under great ob- 
ligation to Mr. Tappan for his earnest, 
indefatigable, efforts in its behalf. Being 
full of enthusiasm himself he inspired many 
others to take an interest in the work and 
doings of the Society. 

The pleasant outings to points of interest 
for which he made the arrangements, year 
after year, will be remembered. He seemed 
to enjoy the historical duties assigned to 
him, and we believe the closing years of his 
life were among the happiest. We need 
not expect to ever fill the position miade 
vacant by his decease, but let us cherish his 
memor}'. 



66 EUGENE TAPPAN. 

Address by John G. Phillips, Esq. 

Mr. President: 

In response to the invitation of the Di- 
rectors of this Society, I consider it a privi- 
lege to second the excellent Resolutions 
which have been read upon the death of 
our esteemed Corresponding Secretary, and 
to contribute a few words of my own in 
appreciation of his character, out of my 
deep respect to his memory. 

Eugene Tappan will always be regarded as 
the Father of the Sharon Historical Society. 
Although others, before him, had been 
working to the same end, it was his intel- 
lect which concentrated and organized these 
forces and made this Society an established 
fact. No one will dispute the statement 
that, ever since its incorporation in 1903 to 
the date of his death, he has furnished not 
only the major share of the brains, but a 
far more important factor, the unbounded 
enthusiasm, which together have supplied 
the electric current to turn the wheels of 
progress. This Society is most assuredly 
his child. The child of the ripeness of 
his maturity. The one from whom he 



MEMORIAL SERVICES. 67 

hoped the greatest blessings to flow. His 
favorite child. 

It has been truly said that he was a good 
churchman — he was a broader man than 
that term signifies ; a good citizen - his 
activities extended beyond the require- 
ments of ordinary good citizenship ; a cour- 
teous and genial gentleman ~ his courtesy 
and good-will were for the community as 
well as for the individual. These qualities 
were apparent to all and need not be dwelt 
upon. Indeed, any perfunctory eulogy 
would be distasteful to him. But yet, 
Eugene Tappan was a man of such 
strongly marked characteristics; his life 
work was so earnest ; his methods so 
unique; his aim so direct; that it will be 
useful to us, and, I think, not displeasing to 
him, if we try, without undue praise, to 
form a just estimate of his character and of 
that which was the all-engrossing object of 
his life. What were some of these marked 
characteristics ? 

If we take the initial letters of his name, 
what general character of his may they be 
made to express? *'E. T." Exhaustless 
Toiler — who greater? Again, one of his 



68 EUGENE TAPPAN. 



favorite mottoes: "The pleasure of doing 
good is the only one that never wears out." 
I am also reminded of the Shorter Cate- 
chism of my childhood : " Man's chief end 
is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever," 
and the paraphrase in the words of a 
modern writer : "The end of life — ability 
to serve and ability to enjoy." Do not 
these suggest Eugene Tappan? The 
greater the capacity for enjoyment the 
more efficient the service to his fellowmen ; 
the greater that service the greater his en- 
joyment. And what one of all our ac- 
quaintances can we recall who enjoyed life 
more fully or rendered more earnest ser- 
vice than he ? 

It has been my good fortune to enjoy a 
goodly share of his companionship for sev- 
eral years, and to gain some insight into 
the nature of the man ; but the impression 
which remains has been derived from ob- 
servation, or inference, rather than from 
any words of his concerning himself. 
Friends did not readily get very close to 
Mr. Tappan's inner self, nor did he seek to 
inquire into the personal affairs of others. 
Possessed of a strong personality, he was, 



MEMORIAL SERVICES. 69 



to use a paradox, the most impersonal man 
I ever knew. His personality has often 
made me think of Lincoln — both, men who 
formed few intimacies but cultivated a 
wide circle of friends and gave freely of 
their best to the general welfare at the 
time and under the conditions in which 
they lived. And, without appreciating his 
influence, he too, was, in his own sphere, a 
" Master of Men." 

His activities and interests were many 
and varied, and friends, attracted to him 
along the different lines of these interests, 
might form varying conceptions of his 
character, but they would find all these 
lines converging to one central point. To 
analyze his character then more closely, 
what do we find to have been the chief aim 
and end of his work — the one purpose for 
which his connections with Church; His- 
torical Society ; Choral Society, and all his 
other interests, served as but the means to 
an end —what was that end? Not self cul- 
ture nor enjoyment, although these objects 
were secured in a high degree ; not ambi- 
tion for wealth or honorary titles, surely ; 
not personal salvation, primarily. A far 



70 EUGENE TAPPAN. 

more altruistic purpose than any of these— 
it may be summed up in the one word, 
Brotherhood. Always ready to sacrifice 
personal motives to the promotion of broth- 
erhood, with an untiring devotion and an 
enthusiasm so contagious as to inspire all 
others with whom he came in contact. 
This, if I mistake not, was the grand pas- 
sion of his life and the especial quality that 
he would be glad, in his own modest way, 
to have us, his friends and co-workers, 
recognize and appreciate. 

Truly his soul is marching on. I can 
think of no immortality that could appeal 
more powerfully to such an unselfish and 
earnest soul than that, through the in- 
fluence of his life, this dream of brother- 
hood, for which he toiled and wore out his 
mortal energies, should become a living 
reaUty; and, in what would perhaps have 
been the very words of his choice: the 
Kingdom of God on earth be advanced in 
this community. 

FINIS. 



JAN 20 ^^^Q 



V 



One copy del. to Cat. Div. 



JAM 2U l:^VJ 



